Future Ruins is an “emerging programme” driven by the concept that verbal and material storytelling can be both a method of disseminating information and creating connections within the community. The designed element is that of a prototype ‘Amphi’ nestled within Hollingbury Hill Fort, an Iron and Roman age site in Sussex. The project prototype derives both its material and form from a code, which is formed on four main pillars; to disseminate, preserve, amplify, and to collaborate. Because the code dictates a vernacular and carbon neutral approach to creating these structures, the result on a global level will be a variety of Amphis, each reflecting the culture and material landscape around them.
Section depicting members of the community crossing paths in the Amphi, drawn to it by a feeling of collectiveness which is fostered during the construction process.
Typology drawing research, conducted to try to extract information about how people engage with monolithic ruins, and what is the driver for these interactions.
Landscape model. Informed by material boundaries. Each dish represents a material that is being used in the construction of the Amphi, and is positioned where excavations will take place.
Future Ruins is divided into three phases.
The first is the construction, local craft experts are employed to both lead in this and disseminate these methods to members of the community. Many heritage craft and construction techniques within the UK have now been added to a ‘red’ list, with most of these being carbon neutral it is imperative that we preserve them for future generations. This phase will also act as a way of connecting the community to the build, creating a sense of collective ownership of the Amphi.
In its immediate state, Amplified Chalk appears similar to Corten steel. It can be altered (seen in second and third image), by removing 2mm off the facade. Prototypes contain: chalk+metal waste
Test conducted to understand material decay. Left: Dry+spray painted Right: Water sprayed on one side, can see how the cellulose in the spray paint protects the chalk-creating a 'skin' Bottom: Amplified chalk 2 weeks after water exposure.
1:20 Amphi prototype. The exterior walls are made fully out of Amplified Chalk (no plaster).
The second phase is the storytelling sessions which will occur within the time frame of the Biennale. The community will be invited to come to the Amphi, where they will be prompted by both the materials and the landscape which they came from, to share stories both local and from afar.
Top: Slipper limpet/chalk quicklime will create the interior module bench Middle: Ash test glazes + effigy floor tile utilise the bi-product waste from making quicklime Bottom: Iron + Ash roof tiles. All materials tests omit the use of binding agents such a plaster and are created from carbon neutral material taken directly from the land.
The final Phase of the Amphi comes after the Biennale, when its roof is dismantled and the community is free to appropriate it as they please. This could include anything from picnic-ing in it, to vandalising it. The concept is that, over time, these Amphi will descend into programmatic anonymity, much like monolithic ruins such as Stonehenge, people begin to project their own stories onto its supposed use.
This continues a culture of storytelling; hence the projects name ‘Future Ruins’. In researching verbal storytelling, it was important to amplify cultures whom have utilised and given currency to its intrinsic ability to transcend time and barriers pertaining to the dissemination of knowledge. First nation cultures, such as tangata whenua (Māori) from Aotearoa (New Zealand), have used storytelling as a way of both instilling values relating to community and how to treat the natural landscape, and generationally fact-checking their histories. Myrah Walters (Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Wai) and Tracey Peters (Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Wāi), were generous and patient enough to have a conversation with me about the cultural history of storytelling within Aotearoa, storytelling spaces (wharenui), and how storytelling is used in a contemporary setting. Without these conversations, I would not have been able to grasp the scope of storytelling. Especially in relation to its ability to create meaningful bonds between our past, future and present.
This final sequence speculates on what might happen after the Amphi has been dismantled. With the community free to appropriate it as they please, they could introduce urban props, worship in it, vandalise it, or turn it into something fun. The last image depicts the discovery of the Amphi as a ruin in the future, where it has reached full programmatic anonymity and is ready to begin the cycle of storytelling all over again.